The security of your website plays a vital role in your online activities. Whether you have a blog, a business website, or an e-commerce platform, you need to secure your website. It is essential to protect your website to avoid losing your data or putting your customers' information at risk. Today I'm going to give you some tips that will help you improve the security of your website. To improve the security of your website, apply these tips on your website.

1- Use Captcha to protect your forms against spam

A captcha will protect your website against spam. One of the most popular captchas is the Google Captcha. You can go to Google platform , and get the right one for you. For example, reCAPTCHA v3 protects your website from spam and unauthorized abuse. Based on a scalable risk analysis engine, it prevents automated software from damaging your site while allowing your identified users to surf with ease. To get reCAPTCHA v3 working on your website, here's how:

Front-end integration

You need to load your JavaScript with the site key
When loading a page or during an action, call grecaptcha.execute
You must send the token to your correspondent with the verification request

You should note that you can run reCAPTCHA for unlimited time with different actions on the same page. If you use a CMS such as Magento, WordPress or PrestaShop, you can get an extension that will help you add Google Captcha to your site. You can also opt for an integrated captcha depending on the platform you are using.

2- Use an SSL certificate to encrypt the communication

It will encrypt the communication between your users and your server, which will add an extra layer of security to your website. Additionally, it allows connections to be encrypted to protect sensitive information provided by customers while authenticating the identity of any organization.

Here are the steps to follow to install the SSL certificates on your server:

Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR), containing public key and server information,
Request the SSL certificate from a secure source on the Internet based on your specific needs.
Install the SSL certificate after receiving it via email or through the customer dashboard.
Associate SSL with your website.

If you want to get SSL at an affordable price, you can try this link. The starting price is $16.5.

3- Reinforce the type of password that users enter on your website.

Instead of letting your users enter any password, you can set something a little more secure. This way you ensure that your website is protected against password guessing. You can, for example, use templates or require users to enter specific character types. If possible, you can further increase security with two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication will ask users to enter their password and will be validated by a code sent to the phone. For users with access to your server, you can use secure authentication such as SSH keys.

The steps to configure the SSH authentication key are as follows:

You must place the public key on the server in a unique directory.
When a user connects to the server, it asks him to prove that he has the associated private key.
The SSH client will use the private key to respond in a way that demonstrates ownership of the private key. The server will then let the client connect without a password.

4 – Improve server security.

You have certain features on your servers, such as IP blockers or certain tools that can protect your website from brute force attacks. Here are some server security measures you can apply:

In the case of the IP blocker, you will be able to stop any attack after a certain number of attempts.
Some servers also offer the option to force users to change their password after a certain period of time.
You can force users to change and use different passwords if they have used it once before.
You can also limit server access to only authorized users using IP addresses.

5 – Scan your code regularly

Scanning your code periodically and receiving the alert in case of a potential attack will help you always be safe. We can never control our solutions 100%. By using some automated tools, you can act quickly before something alarming happens. One of the software you can use to regularly scan your website is Sitelock. Sitelock automatically scans for known vulnerabilities and malicious code and automatically removes them from your website. If you use a CMS like Magento, registering your site for a security scan can help. This way, you will know which aspect of your website needs extra protection.

To install your SiteLock security seal:

You need to register and access your SiteLock dashboard.
Then you need to follow the wizard's instructions to complete your verification.
Once the registration is complete, you will be able to access the code you need for your site.

6. Automate your website's security sweep if possible.

Many automated solutions can allow you to scan your website weekly. Some are free, others are paid. If you are using Magento, and want to know how to improve Magento security, please read this article. “ How to improve the security of your Magento open-source website ”.

Gilblas Ngunte Possi

Founder and Full-Stack Developer at Prositeweb.

My proficiency with modern tools and a keen analytical sense regarding information technology enable me to provide superior guidance in the development and implementation of your web solutions.

Six tips to help you improve your website security